A free-ranging wild horse known as the Old Man is shown on July 14, 2021, as the sun sets near U.S. Army Dugway Proving Ground, Utah. He was left behind in a July roundup that removed about 300 other horses from the range. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

Stories this photo appears in:

Wild horse roundups ramping up as drought grips the West

The removals are adding fuel to longstanding conflicts with activists for the animals whose beauty and power make them an enduring emblem of the American West.

• By By Lindsay Whitehurst and James Anderson Associated Press
• August 22, 2021